T-Mobile to axe 800 UK jobs

'Enormous blow'

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T-Mobile is to axe 800 jobs in the UK - one in eight staff. The mobile operator will wield the axe slowly, over two years. But it has not ruled out compulsory redundancies, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) says.

The job cuts will hit major sites at Hatfield, Sunbury, Merthyr Tydfyl, Doxford (in the North East), Greenock , Warrington and Solihull. Also, T-Mobile's retail staff across the UK will be severely affected.

T-Mobile UK workers have been hit harder than in many other countries: in January the Deutsche Telekom-owned group announced 2,200 job cuts, or one in 10 employees.

CWU union official Nick Childs said the UK cuts are an "enormous blow to our hard working members at T-Mobile. They are the ones who have stuck by the company through thick and thin. Now the company is repaying their loyalty and hard work by throwing one in eight of staff on the dole".

The union is prepared to take industrial action unless it receives certain assurances from the cellco.

No-one at T-Mobile was available for comment at the time of writing. ®